Mouth Breeders

[australia]

how do i know when mouth breeders have eggs? and how will i know when she is ready to spit? and am i best of putting the female by its self to spit the eggs?

 

[backtotropical]

You usually see a bulge where the throat is. Sometimes its not obvious so you need to look closely.

 

[jayjay]

What species of mouth brooder is this? As I can see the fry inside my Egyptian mouth brooders mouth through the skin.

 

[dthoffsett]

The female will stop eating, she'll follow the food, but won't actually eat any. Females often start becoming more reclusive and staying away from the other fish. There will be a bulge in her chin/throat and they look like they are chewing gum all the time (they're actually tumbling the eggs). I had a thread with a couple of pic of a holding female a little while ago.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=209790

Most mbuna hold for 21-28 days, you'll know she's getting close when she has a hard time closing her mouth anymore, sometimes if you look very closely you can even see the eggs or fry.

If you want to keep all of the fry, then yes, it is best to move her to another tank, then either strip her, or let her spit.

Here's some more information on breeding and raising fry.
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/breeding_list.php

 

[australia]

they are ACEII Tanzania *yellow tail.

how long do they take to spit fry?

any other info about this fish breeding would be great, thanks

 

[dthoffsett]

Most mbuna hold for 21-28 days, you'll know she's getting close when she has a hard time closing her mouth anymore, sometimes if you look very closely you can even see the eggs or fry.

If you want to keep all of the fry, then yes, it is best to move her to another tank, then either strip her, or let her spit.

Here's some more information on breeding and raising fry.
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/breeding_list.php

The above information applies to all mbuna, including the species you listed. Breeding and holding times don't vary much among mbuna (or most mouthbrooders for that matter), what does vary is the amount of eggs they can hold. It just depends on their mouth size, experience, and age.